Chapter 2

When the report landed on the floor, Mom's fingers jerked.

Before she could bend down to pick it up, Uncle Donald snatched it and tore it into pieces.

"El, where did Walter get someone to make this?" he scoffed.

"The workmanship is terrible. It's not even as convincing as the death certificate I personally made for you back then."

"Bullshit!" I roared.

My eyes reddened as I stared at the shredded paper scattered across the ground.

Uncle Donald moved to Mom's side and sighed.

"Because Walter faked his death, the media is turning on Ferguson Group. The stock price is already dropping, El. You need to fix this."

He turned to me with a stern look.

"You almost had us fooled. Even a prank should have limits. Mike, tell your father to come out right now and prove in front of everyone that he's still alive."

"Walter used to be the most reasonable person when it came to the bigger picture. How did he become like this?"

Mom looked at me with nothing but disappointment in her eyes.

I remembered how she used to stand up for him fiercely in public whenever relatives made cruel remarks about him.

At charity galas, the mere hint of an insult, labeling him a country bumpkin, was enough to make her spend exorbitant amounts of money just to stand by him and put an end to the ridicule.

No matter how busy she was, she always came home on time because she never wanted him to wait an extra minute.

I stared at her, unable to look away.

When did Mom become this stranger?

A malicious gleam flashed through Uncle Donald's eyes.

"The only reason everyone's paying so much attention to this is that Mike is the nation's top scorer. But what if he isn't?"

My breath caught.

"I had someone look into it. Mike hasn't set foot in a high school for three years. How could he possibly be the nation's top scorer?"

Mom's gaze darkened as she looked at me.

"So, you cheated, Mike. It seems the only way for me to salvage some reputation for Ferguson Group is to turn you in myself."

Panic flooded through me.

Being accepted into a good university had been Dad's final wish while he was still alive.

"You can't do that!" I shouted.

"I'm your mother. I can do whatever I want," she said, fixing me with a cold stare.

"If you don't want me to do it, then tell me where your father is."

My throat felt parched and scorched.

"I've already told you. Dad is in this river. That's why I've been searching for it every single day."

Mom seemed unconvinced.

"You never learn until you hit rock bottom, do you?"

The last trace of warmth vanished from her eyes as she dialed the Department of Education's reporting hotline.

"Hello. I'm Eloise Ferguson, President of Ferguson Group and the mother of candidate Mike Ferguson. I am formally reporting my son for cheating on the SAT."

"For the sake of fairness and integrity, I request that all of his examination results be invalidated."

My vision went black.

In that instant, my entire world collapsed.

Uncle Donald chuckled softly.

"Walter's still missing. I guess he doesn't give a damn about Mike's results. Perhaps he thinks that since the Ferguson family has money, whether Mike goes to university or not doesn't matter."

Mom stared at me and said coldly, "You're never going to university. You and your father will rely on me for everything for the rest of your lives."

"From this moment on, every drop in Ferguson Group's stock price goes on your tab. Let's see how much longer your father can hide."